Over the last decade and a half, YouTube has evolved from a simple video-sharing platform to a proper content consumption powerhouse.
Many features were also introduced — some stayed, while some were discontinued. Out of these, the YouTube Premium suite arguably brought some of the best ideas to the mix.
YouTube Premium’s features, such as ad-free videos, background playback, watch parties, YouTube Music, and Continue Watching, are great and well-known, but there’s one that entirely changed how (and how much) I use the platform: Queues.
I love YouTube Premium
YouTube Premium is available in several subscription tiers: Individual, Family, and Student. They are priced differently but offer the same premium features across the board.
The most notable one is an ad-free experience, where you will see absolutely no pre-roll or mid-roll ads while watching a video. Considering that YouTube shows two to four ads per video now, this feature makes it worth the cost for those with thin patience or tolerance for interruptions.
Then there’s background playback, which allows you to play YouTube videos in the background. You don’t need to have the app actively open in the foreground. You can have a small floating playback window or even lock the screen if you only want the audio.
Continue Watching is another nifty feature for those who watch YouTube across multiple devices (phone, computer, TV, and more). It allows you to pause playback on one screen and pick up where you left off on another.
YouTube Premium also includes YouTube Music for free, in case you don’t want to pay for one more music streaming service. You also get the option for Watch Parties with Premium.
However, the feature that I think is the most underrated is the ability to create playback Queues on the go. When I discovered it, it made watching videos extremely seamless, enjoyable, and uninterrupted.
How Queues changed my YouTube usage
After I got rid of ads with Premium, I saw my YouTube usage had increased manifold. I wanted to see a lot more videos and ensure I didn’t miss anything that might interest me.
In the pre-Premium era, this meant going through my feed and subscriptions, adding every video to the Watch Later playlist, and then catching up on them in my free time. Expectedly, all this did was make me end up with a 5,000-video Watch Later playlist that will never be completed.
After I embraced YouTube Premium, I found a much better and quicker way to catch up on everything I wanted to watch, using Queues.
It works similarly to what you’d find on music streaming apps, where you can add songs to the queue to play next. On YouTube, you can click on the three-dot menu of any video and select the Play next in queue option to add the video to a temporary playlist.
I particularly like YouTube’s implementation as it offers some additional simple yet meaningful functionality with queues.
When you have at least one video in the queue, the same three-dot menu automatically offers an extra Play last in queue option. This option adds the selected video to the end of the playlist.
These two simple options add a ton of comfort to my YouTube binge-watching sessions, giving me ample control to ensure that I catch up with everything I want to.
How I use Queues
I prefer to get my information, updates, and entertainment from YouTube instead of social media. This also means that I open YouTube many times an hour in hopes of finding something that will pique my interest.
Still, life doesn’t allow me to watch a dozen YouTube videos in the middle of my day. So each time I find an interesting video, I put it in the queue, and then continue chipping away at the playlist when I get time.
For me, this is the best balance between watching what I want, when I want, and not missing anything.
On typical days, I’d scroll through my YouTube feed during my morning commute to work and have a queue ready to watch later. Then, during breaks or while having lunch, I watch about half a dozen of them, while adding some more to the queue for later. And after work and later in the evening, I watch the rest of them.
If your phone has enough RAM and performance, the queue will be retained in the background unless you manually close YouTube. Most modern phones, even those that are not high-end, can do this.
How I manage queues
When a queue is selected, YouTube also gives the option to modify the order of videos to be played. It’s a simple drag-and-drop interface where you can see all the videos you’ve added to the queue, and move them up or down based on what you want to watch first.
It’s a thoughtful addition that allows me to optimize my time and interests.
Sometimes, I need to change what I watch when, or sometimes, I want to watch something light and quick instead of a 40-minute documentary. Often, I’d add videos to the queue randomly, and then re-order the queue when I have more clarity on what my free time will look like.
Can’t live without it now
If you watch a lot of YouTube, you really should subscribe to Premium. Moreover, when you fully use features like queues, you will see that watching videos is more enjoyable as well as immersive.
Not having to wait for a video to end before selecting or deciding the next video adds more convenience than you’d think. For me, I can skip to the videos I am interested in, or move to the next one if I stop enjoying the current one.